An unconventional bill for the temporary funding of the US federal state, threatened in a few days to face the specter of possible fiscal paralysis (the so-called shutdown), was presented on Saturday by the Republican party
The two-part plan is “necessary to put House Republicans in the best possible position to fight for conservative victories,” said Mike Johnson, the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives, via X (the formerly Twitter).
“The bill will stop the absurd holiday season tradition of massive spending before the Christmas holidays”Mr. Johnson added, without elaborating.
US media reported that under his unusual plan, some funding, necessary to keep federal services running smoothly, would be included in a short-term bill until January 19, and the rest would be postponed until February 2.
This would allow Congress to buy time to pass various spending bills without earmarking funds for Israel, Ukraine or border securityaccording to reports.
Some Republicans are already protesting that the bill does not include spending cuts, as they deserved. Consequently, it is far from certain that the party, which has only a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, will secure its approval, much less in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
The White House called the proposal “a recipe for more Republican chaos and more shutdowns.”
“House Republicans are wasting valuable time on a frivolous proposal that is heavily criticized by members of both parties”said the spokeswoman for the American presidency, Karin Jean-Pierre, in a press release she published.
The implementing federal budget expires at midnight on Friday. Republicans want the CR (continuing resolution) to pass the House on Tuesday, but even if it passes, it is not at all certain that it will continue.
Without a deal by Friday on the budget, the world’s largest economy will face fiscal paralysis and a slowdown, with some 1.5 million civil servants technically out of a job and aviation struggling ahead of the holiday season. holidays.
The most recent negotiations on the US federal budget, at the end of September, plunged the US lower house into chaos. Trump lawmakers, furious that then-Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck a last-minute deal with Democrats, ousted him, creating an unprecedented situation.
It then took three weeks to name a new speaker, Mike Johnson. Three weeks during which the US Congress was unable to pass the slightest law.
The congressman from Louisiana, rather unknown to the general public, with very limited experience on the Republican staff, is called upon to reconcile, like his predecessor, a handful of Trumpists, adherents of very hard fiscal orthodoxy, the most centrist members of his party and the Democrats, who categorically refuse to dictate the economic policy of the country by the former president’s captains.
If at midnight on Friday the scenario of the shutdown, the suspension of the operation of part of the federal state, becomes a reality, it will be the fourth time in a decade.
The plan was announced a day after the international credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the outlook for the US debt to “negative” – from “stable” – citing the high US government deficit, the reduction of its ability to borrow and “political polarization in Congress.”
Source: News Beast
With 6 years of experience, I bring to the table captivating and informative writing in the world news category. My expertise covers a range of industries, including tourism, technology, forex and stocks. From brief social media posts to in-depth articles, I am dedicated to creating compelling content for various platforms.
